Connection.

As Han Sen waved and stepped onto the court, James stopped biting his fingernails, frowning slightly.

After the incident of switching spots in the locker room, James realized that Han Sen was not someone easily tamed. Since his debut, no one had ever dared to defy him like that.

Later, when Han Sen blocked his shot during practice, it only confirmed this further.

James was not someone who could tolerate disrespect. Just like when Ricky Davis once acted like a big shot and expected James to play second fiddle, James made him leave the team. Afterwards, the media crafted one of the biggest lies: "I thought he was here to assist me."

In fact, Davis never said that while he was with the Cavaliers. It was after he was traded to the Celtics when he said: "I thought LeBron James was a complement, someone who could help me score more. I thought we could connect well. Contrary to what people think, I really love this kid. Now playing with Paul Pierce, I'll have even more open shots."

What Davis meant wasn't important. What was important was how his words were taken out of context, hiding the fact that James had pushed Davis out.

So, after Han Sen publicly blocked him, James was already planning to have Coach Brown teach Han Sen a lesson.

But then Ilgauskas came to persuade him, explaining the pros and cons and analyzing what a top-tier 3-and-D player like Han Sen could mean for him. Ilgauskas promised Han Sen wouldn't cause any more trouble, so James dropped the idea.

However, Han Sen's bold demeanor on the court now reminded James of that statement Han Sen made when he first arrived in Cleveland about jersey number 77. It made him uncomfortable.

James believed the spotlight in Cleveland should only shine on him, and he couldn't tolerate anyone taking even a fraction of it.

But Shaquille O'Neal's reaction was quite the opposite.

Seeing Han Sen's high-spirited manner, Shaq laughed, pointing at him, and even offered Han Sen a high-five as he approached. This was direct approval.

Shaq, at this stage of his career, had grown to appreciate tough young players, the exact opposite of James, who liked rookies to fall in line and follow his lead.

Williams made both free throws, bringing the score to 20-12.

The Bobcats advanced into their half-court offense.

Han Sen was matched up against Henderson, a rematch of their previous workout duel in Charlotte.

This Bobcats team ranked highly in the league for defense, but their offense was limited.

Their leader, Gerald Wallace, was a defensive powerhouse but weak on offense, making them heavily reliant on tactical plays for scoring.

However, basketball tactics tend to fall apart against strong defensive teams. In the end, it comes down to individual talent.

This was why Coach Brown started Henderson. Henderson's ability to create in isolation and his mid-range shooting were crucial supplements to the Bobcats' offense.

From this perspective, inviting Curry and Henderson for workouts, and selecting Henderson after Curry was taken, wasn't a bad idea.

In fact, Henderson was the Bobcats' most active offensive player tonight, repeatedly exploiting O'Neal's inability to defend the perimeter, hitting mid-range shots for a team-high 7 points.

This possession, the Bobcats' play was once again stifled by the Cavaliers' defense. Henderson signaled for a screen from Diaw to initiate off-ball movement.

Diaw, now bigger and stronger but still retaining small forward-level mobility, set a high-quality screen.

Earlier, Parker couldn't get past him.

But this time, Diaw's screen failed.

It wasn't that Diaw set a poor screen — Han Sen simply fought through it.

The clear advantage Han Sen had over Parker was his age.

As a younger player, his reflexes and foot speed were much quicker.

Henderson received the pass but didn't get a good look to shoot.

On the Cavaliers' bench, Coach Brown nodded, stroking his chin as he watched. Like the opposing Coach Brown, he wasn't great with offense, but he was a defensive specialist.

He knew pairing Varejao and O'Neal in the starting lineup would compress the team's offensive space, but O'Neal's defense was too poor now. They needed a defensive player alongside him to balance it out. It was a trade-off.

However, what Han Sen was doing on the court gave him a new idea.

You don't always need another big man to protect the paint. A strong perimeter defender could do the job as well.

Shaq was grinning on the court — finally, he wasn't getting punished for not closing out on shooters.

The Bobcats were running out of time on the shot clock, and Henderson decided to go one-on-one after signaling for isolation.

He knew Han Sen had quick lateral movement, so he opted for a post-up move.

But he quickly realized something was wrong.

Back when they worked out together, his most effective move against Han Sen was a post-up followed by a turnaround jumper. But now… he couldn't even back him down!

Han Sen's physical strength was on a completely different level from before.

As Henderson forcefully spun, Han Sen timed it perfectly and stripped the ball away.

The Cavaliers immediately launched a fast break. Han Sen threw the ball to a sprinting Williams, who quickly scored with a layup despite Wallace's chase.

On the next defensive possession, Henderson found an open look, but his shot missed under Han Sen's tight contest.

The Bobcats, or Jordan's thinking, wasn't necessarily wrong. But what they overlooked was that in a weak draft year, a player they selected with the 12th pick simply didn't have the talent to carry the offense.

This time, the Bobcats got back on defense quickly, so the Cavaliers couldn't push for a fast break and settled into their half-court offense.

Williams successfully passed the ball to Shaq in the low post.

Diaw quickly came over to double-team.

Shaq had decent passing ability, and after years of being double-teamed in the post, his reaction was almost instinctive.

He quickly passed the ball to Varejao at the free-throw line.

Varejao had a completely open look but didn't dare shoot. He dribbled once and then lobbed the ball back to Shaq.

But as Shaq caught the ball, Chandler tipped it, forcing a turnover out of bounds.

Han Sen had seen enough. He rushed over to Varejao and shouted, without any personal animosity, "What are you afraid of? Why won't you even take the shot?!"

That shot, even if Varejao missed, Shaq could have easily overpowered Chandler for the rebound.

But instead, Varejao had turned it into a wasted possession.

"Shut up, rookie! Come talk to me when you make a shot!" Varejao, his face flushed, snapped back.

Who was Han Sen to criticize him?

"Get back on defense, idiot!" Han Sen retorted before quickly running back to defend.

Han Sen didn't like James, but for someone like Varejao, who acted as James' lapdog, he purely despised him.

The Cavaliers' missed offensive opportunity was followed by a shot-clock violation on the Bobcats' next possession.

The clash between these two defensive-minded teams evoked memories of the 2004 NBA Finals between the Pistons and Spurs.

In the Cavaliers' next offensive set, they ran a triangle offense, clearing the strong side and having Parker lob the ball into the post.

But the Bobcats immediately double-teamed.

The more Varejao hesitated to shoot, the bolder the Bobcats' double-teaming became.

Shaq, forced to protect the ball from being stripped again, hoisted it high above his head.

At this stage of his career, Shaq's footwork was no longer what it once was, and with the Bobcats' aggressive double-team, he was quickly trapped after turning around.

Seeing another failed possession looming, Shaq noticed Han Sen moving behind the three-point line and flung the ball to him.

Han Sen had initially been lurking in the weak-side corner.

But when Shaq caught the ball, Han Sen had already begun moving toward the weak-side 45-degree spot.

The Bobcats' defense was focused on the strong side and hadn't noticed Han Sen's movement.

By the time they reacted, Han Sen already had the ball in his hands.

However, the Bobcats' defense was indeed strong. Wallace was already flying towards Han Sen at full speed.

Without hesitation, Han Sen calmly jumped and took the shot.

Wallace was a step too late and could only twist his body in mid-air to avoid colliding with Han Sen.

Swish!

The sound of the net snapped crisply as Han Sen nailed the first basket of his NBA career.

There was no denying it: Coach Brown's three-point training regimen had significantly improved the players' ability to shoot under defensive pressure.

After making the shot, Han Sen spread his arms wide in Varejao's direction.

I made it. Now what?

Varejao's face turned green.

Shaq, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

He ran over to Han Sen, grabbed his head, and planted a big kiss on him.

A perimeter defender who could protect him from shooters and stretch the floor by hitting outside shots — Han Sen and Shaq had perfect chemistry!